[SOLVED] DTA Axles and Slide Hammer Tools

silvapain

silvapain

Greenie Member
I went to replace a wobbly driver's side wheel bearing, and this happened to me when I went to pull the axle nut:

IMG_4591.JPG

Well shit.

So I ordered a set of DTA axles off eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/290929574515?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

The one I wanted was P/N MZ-2313. The DTA axle looks just as beefy as the OE one that served me well through two engine rebuilds (including a ZZB):

IMG_4702.JPG

If you can't tell which one is the new DTA axle and which one is the original with 160,000 on it, then kick yourself in the balls you fucking retard.

I won't go into much detail about how to pull and reinstall the driver's side axle. What I've found best is to remove most everything on the knuckle: tie rod end, caliper, and strut pinch bolt, and lower the knuckle off the strut. Then you can tip the knuckle down and towards the rear of the car and slide the axle out of the hub. Since I still had to replace the wheel bearing, I also pulled the lower ball joint pinch bolt and pulled the knuckle out entirely.

I also jacked the driver's side of the car way up, and left the passenger side on the ground. The angle of the car kept the trans fluid from draining out when I pulled the axle. Less work and no cost for replacing the trans fluid FTW.

The real silva-pain-in-the-ass is pulling the axle from the trans. AutoZone rents a slide hammer and a specialty tool for pulling CV axles, but it doesn't fit. So, I modified it.

The part number for the slide hammer adapter is 27058, and it's listed as "FWD Axle Puller Adapter". What you have to do to get it to fit is grind out the opening. You can see the modification here:

IMG_4703.JPG

IMG_4704.JPG

Then you can get the tool fully onto the axle. I had to put the tool on the axle, then screw the slide hammer onto the tool.
 
All I had to do on my Gen2 was pound the knuckle off the strut, and angle the hub away, and tap the axle through the hub with a hammer and socket extension. Then I simply yanked it out of the trans with both hands using a quick motion (patented Nator AL technique). Note that you can't do this with the DTA axles because they don't have a retaining ring for the inner joint...the boot is the only thing keeping the two pieces together. For the DTA axles you need the tool above.
 
VTMongoose said:
All I had to do on my Gen2 was pound the knuckle off the strut, and angle the hub away, and tap the axle through the hub with a hammer and socket extension. Then I simply yanked it out of the trans with both hands using a quick motion (patented Nator AL technique). Note that you can't do this with the DTA axles because they don't have a retaining ring for the inner joint...the boot is the only thing keeping the two pieces together. For the DTA axles you need the tool above.
Click to expand...
My OE axle didn't have that retaining ring, either. Pulling on the shaft wouldn't have worked for me.
 
silvapain said:
My OE axle didn't have that retaining ring, either. Pulling on the shaft wouldn't have worked for me.
Click to expand...

Definitely good to know in the event I pull the axles on my Gen1 sometime... That's a mess I wouldn't want to clean up!

edit: I forgot to mention, jacking up the car at an angle doesn't guarantee trans fluid won't leak out in my experience, because that's how I pulled mine both times. I recommend venting the fill plug and re-torquing before pulling the axle so the pressure inside the trans case is relieved. This really helps keep the fluid in even better.
 
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@silvapain
Thanks for the info and what a Great idea about jacking the car way up to save the fluid. FoMoCo transmission fluid is priced as though it was liquid gold.

monkey.bones.007 said:
Pulling the shaft always works for me.

crapatalk it sucks for free
Click to expand...

I love yanking my shaft. It's hard to get it at first when its got the C-Ring on. But once it goes, it GOES.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Littleloogy said:
@silvapain
Thanks for the info and what a Great idea about jacking the car way up to save the fluid. FoMoCo transmission fluid is priced as though it was liquid gold.



I love yanking my shaft. It's hard to get it at first when its got the C-Ring on. But once it goes, it GOES.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

I can't take credit for the idea of jacking the car up at an angle. My fellow Nator IL peeps told me about that one.
 
I don't see a proper axle thread, so it may be all just be put here:
I am hearing conflicting information about gen1 vs gen2 axlefit. Some folks say they are interchangeable, and some folks say they have ran one of the gen2 axles on their gen1s. HOWEVER - I am seeing two different DTA axle kits for gen1 vs gen2 on amazon:

Gen1: MZ23132302 - This kit contains axle MZ-2313 and MZ-2302

Gen2: MZ23132316 - This kit contains axle MZ-2313 and presumably MZ-2316.
This second axle, which looks like the passenger side one, MZ-2316 is the one in question - Does anyone know what the difference is between gen1's pass side MZ-2302 and this supposed gen2s pass side MZ-2316? Has anyone successfully installed MZ-2302 on a gen2?
I can't even find MZ-2316 in DTA's catalog. They also don't seem to have a turbo application for gen2 in there, only gen1.

Additionally, TASCAparts lists the following oem part number fitment, and they are different (but could be just Mazda's part number updating over the years).
Gen1:
Drivers side: GG46-25-600C
Pass side: GG46-25-500C

Gen2:
Drivers side: GG65-25-600
Pass side: GG69-25-500
 
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Well.... the subframe and transmission are practically identical along with the hub that the axles go into so..... I am pretty sure there is no difference at all. And of course you are the first person to ever ask this question.... You should buy all four and let us know.
 
Jokes aside, I did look around, I don't see anyone having asked this, which is odd given 13+ years of this platform.
 
Feels weird as shops sell them at different prices lol. Gen 1 is like a 50 dollars difference.
 
What he said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I've been running DTA's for a long time with no issues and at $140 for both axles. You can afford to break them if you want LOL...
 
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